Eric Swalwell Visibly Bristles When Charlamagne Asks Him Whether ‘Chinese Spy Scandal’ Damaged His ‘Credibility’

Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell visibly shifted on Tuesday when radio host Charlamagne tha God asked him about whether the “scandal” related to his ties to a suspected Chinese spy harmed his “credibility.”

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy removed Swalwell from the House Intelligence Committee in January 2023, citing his interactions with the alleged spy, Christine Fang. When Charlamagne posed the question on “The Breakfast Club,” Swalwell responded that he hoped the House Ethics Committee clearing him of wrongdoing in May 2023 would be sufficient in protecting his reputation.

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“Did the Chinese spy scandal hurt your credibility?” Charlamagne asked. “Or did Republicans just weaponize, like, a nothingburger, so to speak?”

“You know, the fact that the FBI and the House Ethics Committee said it was  bullshit, like, I would hope that would be enough. But, like, in a disinformation society, like, I recognize that it’s everyone on the right’s favorite meme,” Swalwell answered. “My wife tells me all the time, ‘You know what? The second they’re not going after you, you’re not effective.’ And so I wear it as a badge of honor that these guys would want to lie about me all the time, because I think it means that I’m landing punches politically on them that sting.”

The congressman also floated a theory that Republicans view his political stances as disloyalty due to his identity.